Roons's Profile

My wife and I were there on Saturday night for our anniversary. We were married on the grounds at the Martha-Mary Chapel, so it has sentimental value. The food is fine - but, in my opinion, the reason to go is for the ambiance. The original inn was built in the early 1700's and has been added onto over the years. We enjoy having drinks in the "old bar room" (the original tavern), especially during the cold weather when the fireplace is in use.

By the way, they recently constructed a new brick patio and plan to offer outdoor dining in the near future.

The Bulletin newspaper reported that a local businessman, Richard Jerrier, purchased the building, the rights to the restaurant, and the restaurant's liquor license. If I remember the article correctly - he was planning to petition the Boston Licensing Board in August, was hoping to open in October and was planning to call it Annabelle's (sp?).

The following appeared in the 7/9/09 issue of the Hyde Park Bulletin . . .

"Residents have waited over a year for C.F. Donovan’s restaurant to open on Hyde Park Avenue and soon, the wait will be over.

The restaurant’s owner, Arthur Donovan, said he plans to open the restaurant in stages, beginning as early as this week. The first stage of openings will serve caterers and functions, he said.

Licensing Board Chairman Daniel Pokaski said the restaurant had been holding onto a liquor license the entire time they were closed. According to Pokaski, Donovan told the board that he needed time to make renovations to the building, which took longer than he had expected.

Donovan could not provide an exact date for when the entire restaurant would be functioning nor did he confirm what renovations had been made to the building. Lisa Timberlake, spokesperson for Boston Inspectional Services Department, (ISD), said the most recent document they have from C.F. Donovan’s is a certificate of occupancy and no paperwork filed asking for a health inspection.

Residents still anticipate the opening will fill a much-needed void in the community."

The following appeared in the 7/9/09 issue of the Hyde Park Bulletin . . .

"Residents have waited over a year for C.F. Donovan’s restaurant to open on Hyde Park Avenue and soon, the wait will be over.

The restaurant’s owner, Arthur Donovan, said he plans to open the restaurant in stages, beginning as early as this week. The first stage of openings will serve caterers and functions, he said.

Licensing Board Chairman Daniel Pokaski said the restaurant had been holding onto a liquor license the entire time they were closed. According to Pokaski, Donovan told the board that he needed time to make renovations to the building, which took longer than he had expected.

Donovan could not provide an exact date for when the entire restaurant would be functioning nor did he confirm what renovations had been made to the building. Lisa Timberlake, spokesperson for Boston Inspectional Services Department, (ISD), said the most recent document they have from C.F. Donovan’s is a certificate of occupancy and no paperwork filed asking for a health inspection.

Residents still anticipate the opening will fill a much-needed void in the community."

I had lunch at the Savin Hill location a few weeks ago. I asked the day bartender about the Hyde Park location. She said it was going to open, but didn't know when. She mentioned that Arthur had hired her away from the Seaport Morton's to manage catering & functions at the HP restaurant.

I heard the same thing - also from a reliable source. I was told that the owner has been going through a personal issue and the HP project was put on hold until the issue was resolved. I was also told that May might be realistic for opening.

I drove by Townsends last night and there was an event of some kind going on inside. I found out today that it was a wine tasting / fundraiser hosted by Albert Winestein's (the wine shop across the street). Barbara Lynch provided the food.

It looked like a big crowd. Hopefully, it'll be open to the public soon.

King's House is still going strong. There are plenty of Chinese take-out options in Hyde Park (King's House, Liane's Kitchen, Talk and Wok, etc.), and I'd describe them as "standard Americanized Chinese". I'm sure you'd be fine with any of them, as long as you're not expecting gourmet cuisine.

The sandwiches at The Real Deal in West Roxbury are excellent. They have a huge selection of specialty sandwiches and use Boar's Head cold cuts. Also, the chicken fingers / boneless buffalo wings are fantastic. Unfortunately, in my opinion, the pizza is average at best.

I think catsmeow is referring to Townsend, the restaurant that is going to be located in the new mixed-use building on Fairmount Avenue (next to the bridge and near the commuter rail station). There is supposed to be an adjoining bakery/cafe.

I drive by both the new CF Donovan's and Townsend locations regularly and neither look anywhere close to being ready to open. It's disappointing.

I just found out that the former US Trust space on the street level of 40 Court Street is being renovated to be a new restaurant - The Oceanaire Seafood Room. I'd never heard of it, but a web search discovered that it's an "upscale" seafood restaurant with 14 locations nationwide.

I always thought that space would make a great restaurant & bar. Has anyone ever been to one of their locations?

My favorite South Shore restaurant is the East Bay Grille in Plymouth, located at Town Wharf on the waterfront. The food is great (seafood/steaks/pasta/salads), the bar is large & comfortable, the drinks are generous, the outdoor patio & bar is fantastic, and the staff is friendly & professional. It's a bit pricey but, compared to other restaurants in the area, it's worth it.

I hope you're wrong about bringing the current chef in Savin Hill to the new Hyde Park location. If she's as bad as she sounds, it's a bad idea to bring her to the new location where you're trying to establish a local customer base.

I've been looking forward to Donovan's opening in Hyde Park for far too long - frankly, it's getting frustrating waiting for them to get their act together and open. If they think they're going to get by with less than their best effort, the place won't be open long.

I got take-out from the Quincy Firefly's yesterday and had no complaints. I've been to the Marlborough and Framingham locations multiple times - but I admit I was a bit wary of the Quincy location after reading a few of theses posts. I usually give a new restaurant at least a couple of months to work the kinks out, but my wife and I had a craving for barbecue and decided to give their takeout a shot.

I was told the order would be ready in 20-minutes and it was waiting for me when I arrived. I had a rack of St. Louis ribs with the Memphis sauce, BBQ beans, cole slaw, and cornbread. My wife had the pulled pork sandwich with the Memphis sauce, cucumber salad and cornbread. We were both pleased with our meals. The only criticism I have is that the cornbread pieces are small.

The latest news I've heard regarding Donovan's in HP is that they're hoping for a June opening - but the person I heard it from thinks that 4th of July weekend is more realistic. The owner decided to re-design the interior of the restaurant in the midst of construction and that delayed the timeline significantly. I've been looking forward to this place opening for a long time - a good table service restaurant/pub is desperatley needed in Hyde Park!

As for Albert Winestein, I've only been there once since it opened, but was thoroughly impressed. I spoke with the owner, Sean, at length - he's a nice guy who knows wine (but isn't pretentious in any way). The majority of the price points of the bottles are between $10 - $30.

By the way, the restaurant in the mixed-use building under construction across the street from Albert Winestein is going to be called Townsend Cafe.

I live in Hyde Park and recently heard that they're hoping to be open by the end of April. I was told that, during construction, the owner decided to re-design the interior of the restauarant and that put the renovation on hold.